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On April 1st, Phuket officials confirmed that two flights carrying tourists from Germany would kick off the airport's reopening process. Thai Airways International announced the launch of two direct flights from Germany to the island.
On April 3rd, a direct Thai Airways flight from Frankfurt landed at Phuket International Airport. Vaccinated passengers only had to quarantine for one week, while those who had not been vaccinated had their quarantine period reduced from 14 days to 10 days under the new policy.
Details regarding the remaining flight from Frankfurt on May 8th operated by Thailand's national airline are not yet available.
Previously, Phuket was given the green light to reopen to international tourists from July 1st. Vaccinated visitors are exempt from mandatory quarantine if, at the time of their arrival, 70% of the island's population has been vaccinated. However, tourists from countries with new variants or a high risk of COVID-19 transmission may not be eligible for a shortened quarantine period or exemption from isolation, even if they are vaccinated.
The Phuket Tourism Association estimates it will welcome 150,000 visitors from July to September this year. Before the pandemic, this second-largest international destination in Thailand welcomed 800,000 to one million visitors per month.
The Thai government plans to test reopening with Phuket first. Koh Samui will be the next destination to reopen, and the island's authorities are also seeking approval from officials to exempt foreign visitors from quarantine. Thailand plans to reopen the entire country to vaccinated visitors by October of this year.
